Under Crimes of Excessive Use of Force, Palestinian Civilian Deadly Shot by Israeli Occupation Forces in Ramallah
Ref: 108/2022
Date: 01 September 2022
Time: 11:00 GMT
Today at dawn, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian civilian after opening fire at him during their incursion into Ramallah in the West Bank. This crime reflects IOF’s loose shooting standards and excessive use of force against the Palestinians despite no immense threat or danger to soldiers’ lives.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 04:30 on Thursday, 01 September 2022, IOF moved into Um al-Sharayit neighborhood in southern Ramallah, where they patrolled the area and deployed between residential houses, firing teargas canisters and sound bombs in the area. Meanwhile, young Palestinians gathered and threw stones at IOF, who fired more teargas canisters, sound bombs and rubber and live bullets. As a result, Yazan Na’iem ‘Afana (24), from Qalandia refugeecCamp in northern occupied East Jerusalem, was shot with a live bullet in his chest, killing him immediately.
An eyewitness said to PCHR’s fieldworker that: “At approximately 05:27, Yazan was on the street, and we were behind him standing opposite to IOF vehicles that began to withdraw from Um al-Sharayit neighborhood. Meanwhile, one of Israeli soldiers fired a live bullet at Yazan from a distance of 70 meters, and then an SUV stopped, and several soldiers stepped out of it. They approached Yazan and surrounded him for around 5 minutes while he was severely bleeding. They indiscriminately opened fire in the area to prevent us from approaching him. After their withdrawal, we pulled Yazan out of the area to provide him aid. At approximately 05:38, an ambulance arrived and took him to Palestine Medical Complex, where doctors pronounced him dead at about 06:00.”
For his part, Mohammed ‘Ayyash, a doctor at Ramallah Hospital, said that ‘Afana arrived at the hospital in a very critical condition after being shot with a live bullet that penetrated the left side of his chest and lungs. He added that after several attempts to save his life, he died.
Since the beginning of 2022, IOF attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip killed 112 Palestinians, including 81 civilians: 24 children and 8 women, 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers and the rest were activists; 15 of them were assassinated. Also, hundreds of Palestinians, including woman and children, were injured.
PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to end Israeli occupation’s crimes and double standards when it comes to international law. PCHR also urges the ICC Prosecutor in particular to act seriously with regard to the situation in Palestine similar to its prompt action in Ukraine. PCHR also demands the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.” PCHR also calls upon the High Contracting Parties to uphold their commitment to Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention, and to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory.